PREVACUS, INC.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA

The Prevacus Story Spun out of Florida State University, Prevacus is a development stage company focusing on a new treatment for concussions, a.k.a., mild traumatic brain injuries or mTBI. TBI touches many lives and is a major cause of disability worldwide. Particularly vulnerable are athletes, the military, the elderly and victims of motor vehicle accidents. Currently, there are no drugs available for concussion treatment – just rehabilitation and rest. Prevacus’ founder, Jacob VanLandingham is a Ph.D. working in the Department of Biomedical Sciences for the FSU College of Medicine. He has spent many years in the laboratory analyzing the positive effects neuro-steroids have on edema – swelling of the brain. However, the sexual and clotting side effects of some neuro-steroids limit their use. The Prevacus scientific team is in the process of developing an alternate line of concussion therapies and is currently evaluating the safety and efficacy of these drugs in preparation for bringing these products to market. Further, Prevacus is in the early stages of novel drug testing in animals for other neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. The Prevacus Story Spun out of Florida State University, Prevacus is a development stage company focusing on a new treatment for concussions, a.k.a., mild traumatic brain injuries or mTBI. TBI touches many lives and is a major cause of disability worldwide. Particularly vulnerable are athletes, the military, the elderly and victims of motor vehicle accidents. Currently, there are no drugs available for concussion treatment – just rehabilitation and rest. Prevacus’ founder, Jacob VanLandingham is a Ph.D. working in the Department of Biomedical Sciences for the FSU College of Medicine. He has spent many years in the laboratory analyzing the positive effects neuro-steroids have on edema – swelling of the brain. However, the sexual and clotting side effects of some neuro-steroids limit their use. The Prevacus scientific team is in the process of developing an alternate line of concussion therapies and is currently evaluating the safety and efficacy of these drugs in preparation for bringing these products to market. Further, Prevacus is in the early stages of novel drug testing in animals for other neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. Then there was the call from my father hours later, and the good fortune that I had slept within easy reach of the phone. Several friends and I had gone to Gainesville to help move my older brother, Hugh, to town for the start of medical school. I followed with a Ph.D. in neuroscience at FSU under the mentorship of associate professor Cathy Levenson, Ph.D. Our research focused on the effect of dietary zinc deficiency in recovery from a brain injury. That research helped me win a postdoctoral fellowship in emergency medicine and neurology at Emory University in Atlanta, where my focus on traumatic brain injury (TBI) intensified. I helped Emory professors Dr. David Wright and Dr. Donald Stein with a clinical trial to establish the effect of neurosteroids in TBI recovery. In addition to my teaching duties at the College of Medicine, I am working to establish a research center in Tallahassee for the next phase of study. Stein and Wright already are working with the U.S. defense department in the hope of making neurosteroids available to soldiers injured in Iraq, where the majority of roadside bomb attack survivors have TBI in addition to other injuries. Director of Business Operations Miss Deane brings over ten years’ experience in the hospitality industry, as well as management skills from a variety of business operations. Prevacus has set up a biology lab at Progress Corporate Park and is conducting experiments with its lead compound to demonstrate the effectiveness and safety in laboratory animals in preparation for clinical trials. Prevacus chose the site because of the great benefits of shared state-of-the-art equipment and collaborations with researchers from other companies. Progress Corporate Park is a productive setting for the many bioscience, tech and other companies attracted to its site in North Central Florida. It is centrally located two hours from Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville and Tallahassee. Park development has been shaped by the presence of a major UF spinout, Prevacus News Prevacus News